F.A.Q.

- Nutritional Therapy -

How do diseases occur?

Most diseases & symptoms are the result of an overtaxed eliminative system. Toxins may be introduced into the body through smoking, impure food, polluted water or air or may be produced by the body itself during severe stress or ner­vousness. These toxins may fail to get eliminated from the body due to lack of exercise, inadequate rest or inability of the eliminating system of our body. The body tries to adapt itself to functioning at a lower energy level. When the toxins continue to come in to the body, a disease manifests. Free radicals can attack cells, which may have become weak or damaged due to irritation, resulting in disease.

What is a disease crisis?

All disease crises are a form of healing & elimination. First the toxins are eliminated & then the affected tissues are re­newed. Our bodies are programmed to throw out toxins & other unwanted material naturally through various eliminat­ing organs: the bowels, skin, kidneys, urinary tract, and nasal passage. These symptoms & the process of elimination are a part of natural cure. Remember' an untreated cold lasts seven days while a treated cold lasts one week'. Do not sup­press the symptoms with drugs unless absolutely neces­sary. When these organs are loaded to its toleration point with waste or toxins, disease symptoms such as colds, boils, rashes, sweating, diarrhea, inflammation, fever etc occur. This is also known as the disease crisis.

Do we get any advance symptoms of the disease crisis?

Sometimes preceding symptoms exist, showing that a crisis is coming & that the body is trying hard to eliminate toxins. Dark urine, sluggishness, coated tongue, irritability, headache, a sense of weakness & ringing in the ears are some of the signs. This shows that the toxins are overpowering our natu­ral immune system.

What is a healing crisis?

The road to better health may begin with a healing crisis. As you move toward better health with natural healing programs and better nutrition, healing begins to occur. As part of the healing process the body will begin to discard toxic residues, which have built up in your body over the years. The healing process usually doesn't occur without reactions. During the initial phase of healing, as your body begins to detoxify and your vital energy begins to repair and rebuild internal organs, you may experience headache, uneasiness, flu like symptoms and fatigue. This is called a healing crisis. You may feel worse before you feel better. As you continue to improve, you may begin a process called retracing. For example, if you used to get skin rashes, the rashes may reappear or get worse for a period of time as your body eliminates toxins through the skin. You may also experience an initial increase in urination, or you may feel more nervous. In actuality, you are not getting worse, you are actually getting better. Eventually you will reach a plateau of better health. During the healing crisis, it is im­portant to not suppress these temporary symptoms with drugs or the healing process may become interrupted.

What is the difference between a disease & healing crisis?

Both look alike but take place under different circumstances. A disease crisis takes place on its own while using natural supplements brings about a healing crisis. Through improved lifestyle, proper diet & natural supplements, the body's im­mune system gets stronger, digs into the tissues & elimi­nates old chronic waste that cause symptoms, which are the healing crisis. In this situation, the immune system is over­powering the toxins. In a healing crisis, greater extent of therapy can be used as the body's endurance is enhanced by the use of supplements. Building foods & tonics can be used if weakness exists.

How long does a healing crisis last?

Normally a positive change can be noticed in 7-10 days time. When natural supplements are used to flush out the toxins, the body may show it through boils, pain, itching, diarrhea, hemorrhage etc, the symptoms varying from person to per­son. This is not to be confused with side effects associated with synthetic drugs. The body is getting better by eliminating the trouble causing toxins, which is the natural way.

How long should the natural supplementary therapy continue?

The important thing to remember is that natural supplements are always beneficial to the body & the longer one takes, the better it is. If symptoms disappear, do not make the assump­tion that the problem has gone. It only means that the body is winning the battle over the toxins & normal elimination pro­cess is at work without outward symptoms. Chronic prob­lems can take 6 months or more to come under control. Se­lenium, an important trace mineral, for example, takes 6 months to show positive effects. Since taking natural supple­ments do not cause any problems, it is better to err on the positive side. After all, if the problem has troubled a person for years, the body will need a few months time to recover. In some cases, natural supplements may have to be continued for life. With age, the body will need more nutrition.

Let me try out one bottle of aloe first. I'll try out other supple­ments if I feel better, Well Honestly, have you ever said anything like this when your doctor wrote out a prescription? Do you tell the pharmacist to give you some medicine only, unless of course, you had the others with you already? If so, why go to the doctor in the first place? These self-treatments can defeat the purpose behind the treatment.

While some people may admit to positive changes, others may not give any significance to the changes they experi­enced, if any, because their main chronic problem has not vanished overnight. People have every right to be skeptical about what they take but to decide for themselves what they will take and then expect a miracle is not reasonable. If other supplements were not required, they would not have been suggested at all. Please remember always that nutritional supplements are not drugs & you should not expect immedi­ate results. This approach can result in wastage of money & negative feelings.

Does one have to take all the supplements suggested?

Definitely. These are recommended taking all the factors into consideration for the overall improvement of health. To make a tasty curry, one needs to add all the required ingredients. You can't eliminate salt or spices & expect the result to be the same. Some supplements may be discontinued if taken for specific conditions only, like an antibiotic for an infection, when it is controlled. Please consult your physician or nutri­tionist & follow their advice.

Can nutritional supplements be taken with other medications'?

Certainly. In fact that is the recommended method. Remem­ber always that supplements are just that, supplements for your body. Do not mistake them for drugs. Dietary supple­ments are concentrated food, which provide nutrition to the body naturally. They help the body to improve its immunity system so that the body becomes fully fit.

What are the difference between drugs & supplements?

Synthetic drugs are manufactured for treating specific ail­ments or symptoms. Being synthetic, our body has to use nutrients to convert it & make it usable. Drugs can give toxins to the body, which sometimes result in serious side effects. Often, only symptoms are treated and the root cause of the ailment remains untouched. This can mean that the problem may reoccur after some time.

On the other hand, nutritional supplements being bio-friendly are fully absorbed & assimilated by the body. Side effects do not occur as tests done over decades have proved. These supplements do not attack the disease directly but help the body's immune system to function better thereby enabling it to overcome the disease. This is a time consuming process but very effective. Moreover, when the immune system is stronger, other old ailments are also naturally taken care of.

When can other medications be stopped?

The dosage of other medications may need to be regulated & lowered as the body becomes stronger. After some time other medications may not be required. Consult your doctor regularly & follow his advice.

Since nutritional supplements are being taken, are other medications necessary?

Nutritional supplements are not an alternate therapy but a supplementary treatment. They do not cure any disease by themselves but aid the body's immune mechanism to be-come stronger. The 'inner doctor' who is our immune sys­tem will help the body to overcome the ailments. If other medi­cations are giving you relief, please take them also.

Why are Nutritional supplements required?

They are safe & help build our immune system to take care of prevailing & forthcoming ailments. A nutritious diet is no longer available due to the poor quality of fruits & vegetables, refining of grains that deplete nutrients further, water & air pollution, fast foods, irregular eating habits, depletion of the soil, hybrid seeds, usage of synthetic pesticides & fertilizers, nutrition lost due to storage etc. Sedentary life style and mod­ern day stress add to the problems. Nutritional supplements have become a must for our optimal health & well being.

What is the optimal life style recommended?

A life style, which consists of adequate exercise & sleep, good nutritious diet, timely food & lack of stress, along with a positive mental attitude should be considered as optimal. Nutritional supplements need to be added only due to the poor nutrition available in our food these days. Make a habit of reading humorous books or watching comedy shows on TV before going to sleep. This will relieve the body of stress & help get sound sleep.

Why is exercise so important?

Exercise keeps us healthy. The extent & type of exercise can vary but don't neglect it. In many cases, exercise is equiva­lent to or better than medicine. Yoga, walking, swimming, aerobics and gym exercises are popular. It improves*our oxy­gen intake, which is essential for good health. It also helps to reduce stress. Please make exercise a habit.

How can stress be managed?

The simple & effective method is meditation. Yoga & certain exercises are other options.

What are free radicals & oxidative stress?

Oxygen is split during metabolism releasing a free & unstable atom of oxygen, which is the free radical. It is a natural pro­cess. Free radicals search for a partner to settle down wher-ever possible. It travels in the blood stream and lodges itself on the arterial walls along with LDL, forming plaque. HDL then reacts with it and forms a harmless precipitate that trav­els along the blood stream and reaches the liver, where it is processed for other uses. When the amount of HDL avail­able is low, plaque builds up as it collects platelets in the blood, causing hardening & narrowing of the arteries. We also get a lot of free radicals from smoking, polluted air & water and diet. Free radicals are the root cause of most dis­eases. This is called oxidative stress.

How does nutritional therapy work?

It helps the body's immunity system to function in an optimal manner by providing the body with the nutrients that it is lack­ing. Once the defense system becomes strong, it will over­come the problem. The general health improves and the pa­tient becomes fully fit.

Which diseases can be cured by nutritional therapy?

Nutritional therapy is a holistic treatment. It is our body's im­mune system that has to combat the ailment & nutritional supplements provide the ammunition for it. By themselves, nutritional supplements do not cure, control or treat any dis­ease.

What are the main benefits of nutritional therapy?

Our body needs natural products for it's proper functioning. The supplements are made from natural products from all over the world, proven & researched for its efficacy and grown in ideal conditions to ensure potency & consistency in qual­ity. They are often found as a mix of various natural products in the right proportion, which due to the synergic effect, pro­vide greater benefit to us. They are safe to consume and of great benefit to the body for strengthening the immunity sys­tem and give good health.

Are nutritional supplements medicines?

Food is medicine. Nutritional supplements are concentrated food & so they may be called medicines. However they are not drugs & do not act like them.

How long should one take nutritional supplements'?

This is dependant on the type of ailment and the amount of nutrition required to bring the body back to normalcy. Gener­ally it is suggested to continue the supplements for a few months at least after the symptoms have disappeared. This will enable our immune system to eliminate traces of toxins, bacteria or virus, which may be lying dormant now & can attack again when the immune system becomes weak.